Object catcher for floor mounted air vents

ABSTRACT

An open basket of a resilient mesh material having first and second side edges of a frictional flexible material. The side edges are adapted to provide for positioning of the basket either immediately partially between a vent cover and the duct, or alternatively, fully within the duct at a location immediately below and spaced apart from, the vent cover. The mesh size of the basket is chosen to preclude the passage therethrough of commonly experienced objects, such as rounded objects such as marbles, elongated objects such as nail clippers, pens, coins, etc. any of which may pass through the slots defined in the vent cover.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to devices for capturing miscellaneous objects that find their way into the duct work of a flow system through the common floor-mounted air flow vent of a heating, ventilation or other air flow system. (HVAC system, for example).

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Commonly floor-mounted air flow vents comprise a duct having a terminal end thereof mounted generally flush with an opening through the floor. Also commonly such opening is fitted with an air flow control vent cover whose primary function is to regulate the quantity of air allowed to flow from the duct into the atmosphere external of the duct opening. Whereas such devices may provide limited restriction of the passage of miscellaneous objects from the atmosphere external of the duct opening, through the vent cover, thence into the duct itself and/or on occasion into an air blower of the HVAC unit, such covers are inadequate as devices for precluding the passage of miscellaneous objects through the cover and into the duct, due to the need for relatively large openings through the vent cover for substantially unimpeded passage of air out of the duct. Further, such vent covers commonly define multiple parallel spaced apart slots through which objects may readily pass. Commonly, miscellaneous objects passing into a air duct may require the services of a costly HVAC technician for cleaning the air duct or for recovery of a valuable object from the air duct or even from the air blower of the HVAC unit.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an open basket of a resilient mesh material having first and second side edges of a frictional flexible material. The side edges are adapted to provide for positioning of the basket either immediately partially between a vent cover and the duct, or alternatively, fully within the duct at a location immediately below and spaced apart from, the vent cover. The mesh size of the basket is chosen to preclude the passage there through of commonly experienced objects, such as rounded objects such as marbles, elongated objects such as nail clippers, pens, coins, jewelry, small toys etc. any of which may pass through the slots defined in the vent cover.

Anchoring of the basket of the present invention may be effected by positioning the side edges thereof laterally outwardly of the basket such that these side edges overlie the side edges of the vent opening, or by squeezing the side edges of the basket toward each other, then inserting the basket and its frictional side edges fully within the opening through the floor or fully into the duct, and then releasing the side edges of the basket so that their inherent resiliency urges the frictional side edges into frictional engagement with the side walls of the floor opening or of the duct itself. Reversing this action provides for ready withdrawal of the basket from the vent opening when and if such withdrawal becomes necessary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective representation of one embodiment of an object catcher of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the basket depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation, partly in section, of a typical floor opening having an air duct terminating within such opening and depicting a basket of the present invention and a vent cover poised for insertion into the opening;

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation as presented in FIG. 4 and showing the basket and vent cover inserted within the floor opening with the basket at a level whereby the bottom portion of the vent cover is disposed partially with the interior of the basket;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation as presented in FIG. 4 and showing the basket of the present invention and the vent cover positioned fully within an air duct at spaced apart locations; and,

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the vent cover depicted in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring initially to FIGS. 1-3, the depicted embodiment of the present object catcher 10 comprises a body portion 12 of an open mesh material 14 formed in the shape of an elongated basket 16 having first and second opposite ends 18 and 20 and first and second opposite sides 22 and 24 in one embodiment, this body portion 12 of the basket 16 may be formed of a metal wire mesh 14. In one embodiment, the first and second sides 22 and 24 of the body portion 12 of the basket 16 may be angled inwardly of the basket 16 from the top 26 toward the bottom 28 of the basket 16. In an alternative embodiment, the mesh material 14 may comprise mesh of a plastic material. In either event, the mesh material 14 is flexible and resilient, at least to the extent that the side edges may be deformed inwardly toward one another to place these sides in comparison and will seek their relaxed state when such compression is released, thereby biasing the outer margins 30, 32 of the first and second sides 22 and 24 of the basket 16 outwardly of the body portion 12 of the basket 16.

The outer margin 30, 32 of each of the first and second sides 22 and 24 of the basket 16 are provided with an outer covering 34 which overwraps each of the outer margins 30 and 32 and extends inwardly of the basket 16 body portion 12 a relatively short distance, for example about one-eighth of the overall depth of the side wall. Alternatively, in another embodiment, there may be attached to the outer rim 36, 38 of each of the side edges 22 and 24 a rigid or semi-rigid strip 40, 41 of material such as a plastic strip or a relatively heavy weight paperboard. In either event, if the strip 40, 41 material is not inherently suitable for frictionally engaging the inner wall 42 of a floor opening 44 or the inner wall 46 of an air duct 48, the strip 40, 41 material may be coated or covered with a material of the desired frictional property, such as a polymeric material. In any event, the strip 40, 41 material is to cooperate with the resiliency of the basket 16 itself to cause the strip 40, 41 material to frictionally engage the inner wall 42 of the floor opening 44 or the inner wall 46 of the air duct 48 with a force which will retain the basket 16 within the floor opening 44 or the duct 48 when the basket 16 mesh 14 is free to seek its relaxed state.

In FIG. 3, there is depicted a typical floor-mounted air duct 48 of rectangular geometry disposed within an opening 44 through a floor. Further in FIG. 3, there is depicted an object catcher 10 of the present invention poised for insertion into the floor opening 44 which contains the air duct 48.

Still further, in FIG. 3 there is depicted a typical rectangular air vent cover 50 poised to be inserted into the floor opening 44 and the duct 48 residing in the floor opening 44. Notably, the depicted vent cover 50 includes a plurality of elongated vanes 52, each of which is hingedly mounted within the vent cover on respective axels 74, 76, each of which defines a respective rotational axis of a vane. Commonly, this axel includes a first end 78 which is rotationally mounted in a first end 80 of the vent cover and a second end 82 which is rotationally mounted in a second end 84 of the vent cover. These first and second ends of the axels commonly project outwardly from their respective ends of the vent cover. For this reason desired rotation function can be limited or interrupted as by physical engagement with an object or structural feature of the air duct or a basket. The present inventor provides for avoidance of such contact between these protruding axels and the present basket by providing a partial cutout 58,60 of each end of the basket. Without lessening the rigidity of the basket, the present inventor provides a cutout which is generally in the form of a “V” in which the open end 70 of the “V” is located adjacent and substantially fully across the width of the top end 26 of the basket, and its vertex 86 is disposed proximate, but terminating short of the bottom 28 of the basket thereby leaving a portion 88 of the bottom of the basket undisturbed so that an object entering the basket through the open top of the basket can not escape out one of the ends of the basket.

As depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5, positioning of the present basket within an air duct and with a portion of the vent cover partially contained within the open top of the basket is permissible by reason of the “V” shaped cutouts of the basket at its opposite ends. As depicted, the size and location of the cutouts 58,60 in each of the opposite ends 18,20 of the basket are chosen to ensure that the basket, when installed in an air duct proximate a vent cover 50 does not physically engage one or more of the vane axels, thereby ensuring proper operation of the vent cover. Such proximity of the basket and vent cover as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 is desirable to permit ready recovery of captured objects from the basket by merely removing the vent cover and thereby exposing the basket for ready withdrawal of any object which has been captured within the basket.

In the embodiment of an object catcher 10 of the present invention depicted in the FIGS. 1-5, each of the reinforced, flexible and frictional outer margins 30 and 32 of each for the first and second sides 22 and 24 of the basket 16 comprises a respective strip 40, 41 having a concave cross section. This geometry of these side edges enhances the ability of these side edges to frictionally engage the inner wall of either the floor opening 44 or of the duct 48 when the catcher 10 is inserted into the floor opening 44. The contribution of these contoured side edges of the basket 16 of the present invention is demonstrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. In FIG. 4, these side edges project outwardly from the basket 16 to engage the inner wall 46 of the duct 48 which is in the floor opening 44. In this depicted embodiment, the bottom portion of the vent cover 50 resides within the open end of the basket 16 so that the arcuate strips 40, 41 are captured between the sides 62, 64 of the vent cover 50 and the inner wall 46 of the duct 48, providing even further assurance that the basket 16 will remain anchored within the duct 48. It will be recognized, however, that other geometrical configurations of the strips 40, 41 may be employed.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5, the object catcher 10 of the present invention is disposed within the duct 48 at a location fully out of contact with the vent cover 50. In this embodiment, the combination of the resiliency of the mesh material 14 of the basket 16 and the frictional nature of the strip 40, 41 material of marginal edges 30, 32 of the basket 16 function to securely anchor the basket 16 at the selected level within the duct 48. Whereas the present object catcher 10 is depicted as being inserted within an air duct 48 which is itself disposed within a floor opening 44, it will be recognized that the present object catcher 10 may also be positioned within a floor opening 44 within which no duct 48 is present, such as when the duct 48 terminates proximate the inner end 66 of a floor opening 44.

In one embodiment of the present invention the mesh opening of the basket 16 material 14 may be between about ⅜ and ⅝ inch in that such mesh 14 size will capture most anticipated objects 68. However, a smaller or larger mesh 14 size may be preferred, depending upon such factors as the potential impedence of air flow, the anticipated size of objects 68, and/or other factors well recognizable by one skilled in the art.

While the present invention has been illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intentions of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departure may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept. 

1. An object catcher for miscellaneous objects potentially entering a floor-mounted air duct directly or through a vent cover for the air duct comprising, a. an open top basket including a body portion, first and second opposite ends and first and second opposite sides, each side having an outer margin, b. said outer margin of each of said first and second side edges comprising a frictional material, c. said basket being formed of a flexible resilient mesh material whereby said outer margin of each of said first and second side edges is biased laterally outwardly of said body portion when said mesh material is free to seek its relaxed state.
 2. The object catcher of claim 1 wherein each outer margin of each side of said basket comprises a strip of frictional material having a first side edge incorporated into said basket and a second side edge projecting laterally away from the outer margin of their respective one of said first and second sides of said body portion.
 3. The object catcher of claim 2 wherein said strip of frictional material is adapted to develop a frictional engagement with either a wooden surface, a polymeric surface or a metallic surface.
 4. The object catcher of claim 1 wherein said body portion exhibits a substantially “V”-shaped cross section.
 5. The object catcher of claim 1 wherein said mesh material comprises a resilient wire mesh material or a polymeric material.
 6. The object catcher of claim 1 wherein said elongated basket is cutaway at each of its opposite ends in a manner which precludes said basket from interfering with the adjustment of air flow through the vent cover.
 7. The object catcher of claim 5 wherein said mesh material exhibits mesh openings of between about three-eighth and five eighth inch.
 8. A method for capturing objects passing inwardly through an air vent or vent cover into an air duct comprising the steps of a. providing a basket having first and second opposite ends and first and second opposite resilient sides having respective outer rims, b. adapting said outer rims of said first and second sides for frictional engagement with either a wood, polymeric or metallic surface, c. placing said first and second sides in a compressed state, d. while said sides are in compression, inserting said basket into a floor-mounted air vent, e. thereupon releasing said first and second sides from their compressed state whereupon said respective rims of said first and second sides are urged into frictional engagement with said floor-mounted air vent.
 9. The method of claim 7 and including the step of providing cutouts proximate each of said first and second opposite ends of said basket, each of said cutouts being of a generally “V” shape with the open top end of each of said cutouts being disposed adjacent the open end of said basket and the vertex of each cutout terminating proximate, but spaced apart from, the bottom of said basket thereby leaving intact a portion of the bottom of said basket which defines a barrier against the escape of a captured object from said basket via the opposite ends of said basket.
 10. A catcher for miscellaneous objects entering the opening of a floor-mounted air duct comprising a) a vent cover disposed in covering relationship to the opening, b) said vent cover having first and second ends and including a plurality of elongated vanes hingedly mounted with said vent cover about respective axels, each such axel having a first end protruding from a first end of said vent cover and a second end protruding from a second end of said duct and depending from said vent cover into the opening of the floor-mounted air duct, c) a vane adjustment mechanism adapted to rotate said vanes about their respective hinged axels for regulating the flow of air through said vent cover; d) an open top basket including a body portion, first and second opposite ends and first and second opposite sides, each side having an outer margin, e) said outer margin of each of said first and second side edges comprising a frictional material, f) said basket being formed of a flexible resilient mesh material whereby said outer margin of each of said first and second side edges is biased laterally outwardly of said body portion when said mesh material is free to seek its relaxed state, and, g) each of said opposite ends of said basket being cutout to define at each end thereof a substantially “V” shaped void adapted to receive therein said projecting ends of said axels when said basket is disposed within the floor-mounted air duct proximate said vent cover, whereby said basket is precluded from interfering with the movement of said axels when they are adjusted for regulating the flow of air through said vent cover. 